phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

BULLY FOR YOU

Posted by Bella on May 08, 2003

In Reply to: BULLY FOR YOU posted by Brian from Shawnee on May 08, 2003

: : : The phrase 'Bully for you' (or him) Means 'good for you' (or him) but where does it derive from? In Shakespeare the use of the word 'bully' is not as we know it to-day. i.e. in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Peter Quince refers to Nick Bottom as, "Good bully Bottom"

: : You're right. In older times, the word "bully" also had a couple of positive meanings, the only trace of which is left in the expression "bully for you", which is still occasionally used in British English - I can't comment on US English. I've most heard it used in a derisive or sarcastic way, along the lines of "Well then, aren't *YOU* the clever one?".

: : ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps French bouilli, boiled meat, label on canned beef, from past participle of bouillir, to boil, from Old French boilir.

: Current U.S. usage and context of "Bully for you" seem to be the same as in the U.K.

And just so we're clear, that's "Bella", with an "a", not bully, which is a term I associate with our US President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, whose favorite phrase was "Bully!", meaning "Fantastic!"
And I always wondered what "bully beef" was, so Thank you!!